Longford's high work-rate and discipline in the closing stages were the most pleasing aspects of last night's Allianz Football League Division 3 final success for their manager Glenn Ryan.

Seemingly cruising to victory when leading by 10 points at half-time, Longford saw their lead cut to three points by a determined Wexford fightback with 10 minutes remaining, but the midlanders held on to secure back-to-back Division 3 and 4 titles.

"It was great that we hung on," a thrilled Ryan said.

"I think our fellas showed a great willingness to work hard and be disciplined. I was delighted with the way we approached the final few minutes even though we were on the back foot. We kept our discipline.

"If we don't work that hard, we're going to struggle. Today, we did it for 35 minutes, and yet we nearly lost the game. That's part of our mantra - hard work.

"It took a huge effort that we put in to get that 10-point lead and it took a huge effort in the second half to hold onto it. And there's no doubt, you'll rarely win the second half if you win the first half by 10 points." Tweet

Most Read Stories